The present invention relates to a weld stud which is welded to a workpiece and attaches a component to the workpiece, and an attachment assembly using the weld stud. More specifically, the present invention relates to a weld stud which is effective in being utilized, but not limited, as a synthetic resin weld stud to be welded to a box member made of synthetic resin such as a dashboard or some other structural part of an automobile, or a cowling of a motorcyle.
Conventionally, in a clip assembly commonly used for attaching a component on a box member made of synthetic resin such as a dashboard of an automobile or a cowling of a motorcycle, as shown in FIG. 1, the root of a weld stud 1 having an engagement step 1a at a longitudinally mid portion is welded to a box panel 2, and a clip 3 comprises a tubular leg portion 3a with an inner diameter enough to receive the stud 1 and a disc-like head 3b formed on an upper end of the leg portion. The clip 3 is brought into engagement with the stud 1, thereby holding another component 4 sandwiched between the head 3b and the box-like panel 2. To make the clip 3 engage with the stud 1, resilient engagement pawls 3 are provided in the manner that they extend inwardly with respect to the tubular leg portion 3a of the clip 3c, and the engagement pawls 3c are brought into engagement with the engagement step 1a of the stud 1.
For this conventional attachment assembly, different clips have to be prepared correspondingly to components to be attached. Further, forming the engagement pawls in the clip needs complicated metal molds, which should be made for the respective types of clips, resulting in an increase in manufacturing costs. Difficulty in removing the clip after attached is another problem of this type of conventional attachment assemblies.